I'd recommend a session with a Registered Dietitian who specializes in weight loss. You need to find what works for you and your unique body, so the information you find randomly on the internet may or may not be helpful. A nutrition expert can help you work your way through the steps that lead to healthy weight loss.

You may be able to find all of this on your own, as many people here on this wonderful forum have. But if you are just starting out, not sure what to do, and are already confused and having limited success, it really would help you to get a specialized consultation to help get you on the right track.

Best of luck in your weight loss journey, and I'd recommend using Fitday faithfully to track everything you eat (and measure your food, too!). It really helps you see patterns in your eating, and it would be a great help to a dietitian, too, if you do go see one.

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, I don't think I could afford to see a dietitian so I am kinda stuck experimenting and getting feedback and then using my best judgement. I am very skeptical of what people tell me but if I hear enough of the same things over and over I tend to listen.

I think I am just confused because it is all new and I am unsure. But, I am very mythodical in my approach and I document and analyze everything meticulously.

I was hoping that there was a website that had knowledgeable people on it that could answer some of the questions I had. Possibly even on this website, and even though people have different bodies, there has to be some basics or red flags that everyone should watch out for. Thanks again I'm going to keep on searching.

busybee, throw some of your specific questions out there. There are a lot of folks on here who would be glad to help. You may want to try the Weight Loss, Foods, Exercise, or Women's Corner sections, though; I don't think the Newcomer thread gets too much traffic. (I saw on your other post you're male, but the Men's corner is slow and there are some guys that jump into the Women's.). The 7-Day Motivational Thread is usually busy.

__________________Cassie

And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good.
-John Steinbeck

busybee, throw some of your specific questions out there. There are a lot of folks on here who would be glad to help. You may want to try the Weight Loss, Foods, Exercise, or Women's Corner sections, though; I don't think the Newcomer thread gets too much traffic. (I saw on your other post you're male, but the Men's corner is slow and there are some guys that jump into the Women's.). The 7-Day Motivational Thread is usually busy.

Yeah, what exactly are you confused about? What are you currently doing and what have been your mixed results? What are you looking to accomplish? What is your time frame?

Are you using fitday to track your intake and exercise burn? If so the most methodical way to go about losing weight is to keep your body at a calorie deficit, like 500-1,000 more calories burned than eaten, over time. And you can track all of that here on fitday. On top of that many of us watch our macros and have ratios that we try and achieve. The ideal macros for each person vary depending on their body and goals. I'm a female, workout 5-6 days/week, approx 50% of that is cardio, 30% weight training and maybe 20% stretching/balance, currently I'm using 40/40/20 (carbs, proteins, fats), but that's just me. Male body builders use something different, lower carbs and higher proteins & fat, maybe? That's one everybody has to play with a little to get figured out. Anyway the other question I have for you is are you drinking enough water? 64 oz baseline + another 8 oz for every 10lbs you want to lose. It's also normal to have fluctuations in your weight no matter how rigorous your diet and exercise. Some of that comes from water retention (inflammation, sore muscles, too much sodium, etc etc) other causes for weight fluctuation may be related to gastric regularity or medication, and some of that is just your body messing with your head for fun.

Hello again. Some kind of a wierd glitch on the forums prevents me from posting sometimes. I can always view the threads as a visitor but when I log in sometimes it won't bring up the page.

Anyways I did post some specifics in the weight loss tips discussion. Thde thread is "questions about my plan" if anyone cares to have a look.

Thanks CJ I'll post in that section of the boards you mentioned from now on.

The mixed results I am having are that although I have lost 10-15 pounds over the last 5 weeks, I am not seeing much difference in measurements or the way my clothes fit. Another thing is that my weight loss has been coming in 3 pound increments. I drop 3 pounds in one day and then stay there for about a week, and then suddenly 2-3 pound loss again and maintain for another week. It is not consistent at all.

My other questions and details are in that thread I mentioned so check it out if you get a chance. I think I am headed in the right direction and that I just need to be patent but I don't want to get 3 months down the line and find out I was doing it all wrong ya know?